Illusion Sword Master

＜ The Inspector is Watching (2) ﹥

The thick inspector’s manual contains various authorities and examples of their use.

“In cases where it is deemed necessary for mission execution, the inspector has the authority to directly recruit personnel on-site and form a special task force under their command.”

Among them, the contents regarding this enormous authority were also specified, but there had been almost no instances of its exercise in the past thirteen years.

Since the Emperor, the supreme ruler of the Empire, had fallen ill, the imperial family’s authority had been divided between the First Prince and the Second Prince, and the Empire’s highest authorities had been weakened.

Even inspectors had to respect the authority of high-ranking officials in the Empire’s military. How could a commander who was in charge of inspecting their own troops possibly lend them military power?

Therefore, the current situation was truly unprecedented.

“The 13th Battalion is yours to command as you see fit. I’m grateful for your help so far, and I entrust you with my sincerity.”

The commander-in-chief had handed over full authority of the 13th Battalion to me without me even asking.

The 13th Battalion, once a penal unit, had become a symbol of excellence within the 6th Army Corps after their recent victory.

It was an overly generous gift.

“Thank you for your words, but I don’t understand your intentions. They’re excellent soldiers. They must have other uses.”

I asked, revealing my wariness.

“This human is going to make me do something again.”

Because I had successfully accomplished the impossible tasks he had given me, the commander-in-chief had taken a liking to using me, just like the Three Emperors did.

Great power meant great responsibility.

“What’s the intention? Just a simple favor. As the hero of the Western Front, you’ll be able to fully demonstrate your abilities, and I’ll give you a push.”

Favor? Please. I didn’t need any push. I just wanted to be sent back.

“Honestly, sir, thanks to you, I can stay here for a while longer.”

“Hmm, that’s right. Between us, let’s be honest. Even if the 13th Battalion’s soldiers were loyal and brave under your command, it’s not like they would be the same under other commanders, right? A good sword needs to be wielded by a skilled swordsman.”

It was a reasonable argument. The loyalty of the 13th Battalion members was directed towards me, not the empire.

“Anyway, you have a lot of work to do. Hurry up and reorganize the 13th Battalion, and work towards establishing military discipline throughout the 6th Army Corps. The Three Emperors have already given their permission, so I’ll leave it to you. I’m busy with my duties, so I’ll take my leave.”

The commander-in-chief left without giving me a chance to respond, as if he was fleeing.

It was a situation where I was being forced to take on a heavy burden, like being “played” in a game of chance or being “hit” in a military context.

#

So, I had to struggle again with my still-unhealed body.

Reorganizing a single battalion wasn’t a simple task that could be resolved with a few documents.

After going through a complicated administrative process for several days, the 13th Battalion was reborn with a new name: “Inspector-General’s Direct Special Mission Battalion,” or “Inspectorate Special Forces” for short.

“What’s all this about?”

I stood on the podium, looking at the soldiers lined up in the training ground. They were all wearing black military uniforms, unlike the empire’s standard issue.

“That damn commander-in-chief. Is he trying to suck me dry?”

I didn’t want to draw attention, but the commander-in-chief had borrowed the training ground and the military band to prepare for the Inspectorate Special Forces’ inauguration ceremony.

“They’re all the same, those guys at the top.”

His intention to dump all the troublesome work on me was clear.

“Hmm…”

As I cleared my throat, 512 soldiers looked at me in unison. They were, in effect, my personal soldiers, operating outside of the regular chain of command.

Any ambitious person would feel an immense sense of pride at this moment.

But as a small-time citizen, I felt burdened by the weight of responsibility for 512 people.

“Ugh, should I just give up now? My nose is already three inches long, and I have to take responsibility for all of them?”

But it was too late to back down now.

On the day the 13th Battalion was surrounded by the Orcs…

I had said anything to boost their morale, including promising them glory.

“Sigh… My karma is deep.”

They believed in me and were willing to die for me, so I had to take responsibility for my words.

“You are no longer prisoners of the penal battalion, but members of the Inspectorate Special Forces. I expect you to perform your duties faithfully, armed with strong bodies and a thorough sense of mission.”

I spoke in a stern tone.

“Woah! The Inspector-General is with us!”

“I thought I was abandoned by the goddess, but it turns out I was chosen!”

“I’m glad I joined the army! Mom, I was wrongly accused and joined the army, but thanks to this, I’ve become a direct subordinate of the Inspector-General!”

The excitement of the soldiers, who had been reborn as special forces members and were now working with me, was indescribable.

“Ah─one! Ah─one! Ah─one!”

512 fanatical followers chanted my name in unison, their voices like the battle cry of an orc.

As I woke up, I felt like I was possessed by the body of a pseudo-religious leader.

The surreal scene made me feel like I was in a daze, and then Belram approached me, putting something around my neck. The pungent smell made my nose twitch.

“For the glory of the Empire! Special Officer Belram presents this gift to Inspector General.”

Belram, who had taken on the role of chief officer of the special forces, smiled slyly.

I felt an urge to rip off the necklace made from an orc’s ear that was hanging around my neck, but I restrained myself and looked at Belram.

“…Belram, what is this disgusting thing?”

“I heard that Inspector General used to wear a necklace made from an orc’s ear in the past. Ah, the one in the middle is from that Busak guy.”

It was true. During my time as a low-ranking officer in the Empire’s army, I had gathered the ears of orcs and wore them as a necklace, driven by the madness of battle.

For me, who had become a refined and cultured Empire’s viscount after learning magic, it was a dark past I wanted to forget.

The orc allergy was acting up again.

I took off the necklace. Not throwing it away immediately was a testament to my patience, but the soldiers’ eyes showed disappointment.

“Ah, don’t you like it? The kids worked hard day and night to prepare it for you.”

“…Well, of course, I like it. It brings back old memories. I will cherish this symbolic gift that represents the devotion of my comrades.”

I beckoned to Yelrina, and she quickly came before me.

“For the glory of the Empire! Special Forces Commander Yelrina reports for duty!”

Yelrina was the only surviving officer from the 13th battalion and a knight-grade warrior.

Under the incompetent battalion commander, she had shone brightly, and as a commander, she had sufficient qualifications, so I entrusted her with the position of commander of the new special forces.

“I’ll give you this wonderful decoration. Consider it a symbol of trust, and don’t refuse it.”

I carefully put the ornament around Yelrina’s neck. A commander should be used to doing such things.

“Thank you, Inspector General! I will become a great commander worthy of this necklace. I…I will treasure it! *sniff*!”

Giving this to a beauty was worse than giving her a teddy bear or a paper crane, but Yelrina’s eyes turned red with emotion.

‘I wonder if she’ll notice the orc’s ear pendant.’

I thought about warning Yelrina, who was holding the pendant with Busak’s ear, but I didn’t.

“Well, I expect your growth.”

Anyway, everyone here was happy, so that was that.

Only I couldn’t share in this happiness, but I was used to it, so it wasn’t a problem.

#

“Sigh… Is this all there is?”

I looked at the various swords laid out before me and let out a sigh. Ollek hung his head in shame.

“Yes, these are the best-conditioned ones from the armory.”

“Hmm.”

For me, who was used to handling dwarf-made swords, these well-maintained weapons didn’t impress me.

The dwarf-made swords I had brought from the capital were all destroyed in the last battle.

The long swords were beyond repair due to the use of powerful magic.

What’s more, even the Black Thunder, my favorite sword, was broken into several pieces due to the magic squad’s bombing.

I was lucky to have recovered some fragments. If not, I would have been stuck in this wretched front line, suffering from depression.

“Ollek, isn’t there another way?”

I didn’t want to be too demanding towards my loyal and faithful aide, but this was a problem that couldn’t be compromised.

“I’m sorry, but I’ve tried every possible method. I even asked other knights if they could lend a sword to the Inspector General, but they just cursed me.”

That’s that.

I asked the reporter for a sword that’s like my life.

I couldn’t add any more complaints to Olec, who had already suffered enough because of me.

“Good job, Olec. Let’s get started.”

The day after the establishment of the Inspectorate Special Forces, my duty as an inspector also began.

[I’ll be inspecting all the units within the army. At a time when we’re preparing for the Umbra retrieval operation, we can’t afford to have any internal conflicts.]

My task is to inspect the entire 6th Army and establish military discipline.

I stepped out of the barracks with Olec.

“For the glory of the Empire! Inspector Belram and 10 special forces members, ready for deployment!”

Belram was waiting in front of the barracks with his well-trained soldiers.

Having too many people accompany me on my inspection duties would only waste time.

So, I limited my entourage to Belram, who knew the situation well, and a few skilled fighters.

“For the glory of the Empire! Inspector, I know I’m being presumptuous, but… wouldn’t it be better if I came along?”

Some people questioned my decision.

It was true that having a powerful knight like her as my escort would be reassuring.

“Yelina, I’m entrusting the training of the unit members to you.”

She had other tasks to attend to.

“Training?”

“Push them hard to increase their combat power. Teach them proper swordsmanship.”

This was a truly heavy responsibility.

It wasn’t what I intended, but the special forces members had staked their lives on following me. If they went to the battlefield with mediocre skills and died, it would be a huge blow.

“Right. It’ll do for now.”

I handed her a self-made training manual with rough drawings and writing.

“What’s this?”

“This is a sword technique I created for training purposes. It’s not perfect, but it’s suitable for the soldiers to learn.”

In reality, this sword technique had no foundation.

It was something I came up with based on my own experience, without ever learning proper swordsmanship.

However, this makeshift technique had shown significant effects against the orcs, so I had recorded it just in case.

“Is this… the inspector’s sword technique? Are you sharing something precious with us?”

Back in my rookie days, I had taught my fellow soldiers for three pieces of dried persimmon, but Yelina was acting like I was revealing some great secret.

“It’s nothing special. If there’s a problem, you can modify it as needed.”

“Oh, no! I’ll do my best to ensure that the inspector’s precious knowledge is passed down to the soldiers! Uh, what should we call this sword technique?”

I hadn’t given it a name, but teaching an unnamed technique to Yelina, who had a knight’s pride, seemed a bit awkward.

Luckily, I had confidence in my naming sense, so I was able to come up with a cool-sounding name in an instant.

“Let’s call it the Eutan Ryu Dragon Slayer.”

“The Dragon Slayer, a fitting name for the inspector’s sword technique!”

After saying it out loud, it seemed a bit too flashy, but it was too late. Yelina was already enthusiastically chanting the name “Dragon Slayer”.

“…… Hmm. Okay. Good luck.”

Leaving Yelina, whose eyes were shining with determination, behind, I told the unit members:

“Let’s move out.”

I made up my mind.

To quickly get rid of the troublesome and difficult tasks I’ve taken on and escape this miserable battlefield, I’ll finish them off quickly.

“Exactly.”

Dark Ethan, who had been corrupted and turned dark, was going to destroy the 6th Legion’s commanders.

＜ Inspector’s Surveillance (2) ﹥ End